Calgary Liberal MP George Chahal calls for Trudeau to step down, and for party to prepare for leadership race

Liberal MP George Chahal is calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign and for the Liberal Party to begin planning for a leadership change.

CBC News obtained two letters sent Friday by the Calgary Skyview MP, one to the entire Liberal caucus calling for Trudeau to step down immediately, and another to Liberal Party president Sachit Mehra asking him to start planning for a leadership change.

When asked by CBC News about the letters, Chahal refused to comment specifically on their contents, saying “I can tell you what I’m saying today, that I believe that we need new leadership and that caucus members and party members would like the same … conversations that we have within caucus will remain in caucus, but those are my feelings that I’m expressing to you today.”

In both letters, as well as in an interview with CBC News, Chahal emphasized that “time is of the essence” to replace Trudeau as leader. 

“I think that’s in the best interest of our party and Canada,” Chahal told CBC News.

“I believe the prime minister has done a tremendous job since 2015 and brought forward tremendous policy initiatives, with the child care benefit, with dental care and pharmacare… but I believe now is the time for new leadership.”

He added he has been calling for a change in leadership behind closed doors for the better part of a year, but in light of two byelection losses in Toronto and Montreal and the shock resignation of former deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland, he decided to vocalize publicly his desire for a change.

“I’m hoping with new leadership at the helm of the Liberal Party of Canada, we can continue to bring forward new ideas to deal with the challenges that we have in front of us,” Chahal said.

“I’m hoping the prime minister’s had the opportunities over the holidays to reflect on that, but also makes the right decision and our party executive can move forward with the leadership campaign.”

Chahal’s calls come in the wake of growing unrest within the Liberal Party. To date, more than 20 Liberal MPs have publicly urged Trudeau to resign — with most coming forward after Freeland’s surprise departure from cabinet.

Last week at a virtual meeting of the Ontario Liberal caucus, more than 50 Ontario Liberal MPs came to a consensus that Trudeau needs to step down as party leader, multiple sources told CBC News.

In his letter to the Liberal caucus, Chahal said Trudeau no longer has the support of the party and reiterated his call for the prime minister to step aside.

“Any rational individual in a position of leadership would resign. Any group of individuals providing advice based on data and logic would reach the same conclusion,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, a small cabal have decided to pursue a reckless strategy of mutual assured political destruction. It is clear the Liberal Party of Canada is not their priority.”

In his letter to Liberal Party president Mehra, Chahal urged the party to be ready for a leadership race even in the absence of the prime minister’s formal resignation. He said it would be political negligence by the Liberal Party not to plan for the race given the overwhelming desire for change.

Mount Royal University political science professor Lori Williams said it’s not surprising that Chahal would air his grievances with the prime minister, given discontent with Trudeau across the country as well as in Alberta.

She said it’s likely Chahal will struggle to maintain his seat in the next election.

“The unpopularity of the Trudeau government is such that I think it’s going to be a really uphill climb for George Chahal,” Williams said.

Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Mount Royal University, said Chahal isn’t saying anything new by calling for Trudeau to step aside.

“I think he’s just echoing what many other Liberals are saying, that Trudeau is going to take the Liberal Party down to the depths of what Kim Campbell did with the PC’s,” Bratt said. 

“A new Liberal leader is not going to win an election or even come close to winning election, but it might stave off the disaster of finishing, you know, fourth or fifth and going down to 20 seats or fewer.”